Daily Life: Thankfulness

Daily Life: Thankfulness

On Thanksgiving, I try to focus on what I have to be grateful for. I know that I’m very lucky, and at least once I year I want to actively remind myself about not taking things for granted.

I am thankful for…

  1. My loving, wonderful, uberamazing, fanfskingtastic husband
  2. Being related to a rockin’ family
  3. Tea time
  4. An electric kettle in my kitchen
  5. An electric water heater (and sanitizer???) in my office
  6. Wearing lolita fashion
  7. Having the budget to purchase lolita garments from Japanese companies
  8. EOS mint lip balm in the weird round containers
  9. Numerous sushi restaurants (some of them quite good) in walking distance
  10. Living in the city
  11. Smith’s rosebud salve
  12. Steven Smith Teamaker’s wonderful selections
  13. Saving money by buying from the second-hand market for lolita clothing
  14. Owning two ball-jointed dolls…one of which is my “dream doll”
  15. Argo Tea (mmm, Earl Grey Vanilla Crème ♥)
  16. Giant stuffed shark
  17. Moon jellyfish
  18. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic…and watching it online
  19. Vintage cook books
  20. Bright and varied colours of my My Little Pony collection
  21. Availability of pink electronics…and owning several of them
  22. Hello Kitty appliances
  23. A positive balance in my bank account
  24. Student loan debt that seems at least possible to pay off before I’m 65
  25. Having earned a bachelor’s degree
  26. Working a steady job in a friendly environment
  27. Gainful employment for my husband that he excels at and enjoys
  28. Spending time with my grandparents
  29. A yarn shop near a red line station
  30. A yarn shop near a brown line station
  31. Wooden (specifically birch) knitting needles
  32. Finally understanding a proper purl stitch, even after years of doing it wrong
  33. Acceptance into graduate school
  34. Impending graduation from graduate school
  35. Economic recovery, even though more would be better
  36. Living in a generally safe neighborhood
  37. The upcoming extended-family Christmas party
  38. DESSERT AND SUGAR
  39. Milk tea–bonus if tapioca is involved
  40. A contact lens prescription that hasn’t changed significantly in the past 2 years
  41. Knowing there is food in the pantry and money to replenish it
  42. Little sisters that I have and those that I’ve accumulated
  43. Going to see the Moscow ballet in December
  44. Christkindlmarket traditions with my best friend
  45. Looking forward to nearly 20 years of being best friends with the same wonderful person
  46. Tea mugs with Rilakkuma on them
  47. A few English china tea cups in my collection
  48. Tying a ribbon into a bow
  49. Not ever having broken a bone despite doing stupid things
  50. Being lucky enough to avoid requiring major surgery
  51. Attending the inauguration in 2009
  52. Graduating from high school…despite recurring nightmares about being sent back
  53. Sitting next to a coworker who sometimes brings me a strawberry cream puff at 7:00 AM
  54. Knowing that my two bunny bags were presents from my parents
  55. Slippers shaped like Pikachu
  56. Relatively few cavities considering the quantities of sugars I’ve historically consumed
  57. Public transportation (even when there are crazies on the train)
  58. Pens with pink ink
  59. A good recipe for crumpets
  60. No major family disasters in 2010, which I would like to see as a continuing trend
  61. A loving, silly, generous, fun-loving, cheerful, hardworking, and strong mother
  62. A focused, accomplished, guiding, caring, and encouraging father
  63. Being close enough to my brother that we’re nearly telepathic
  64. The chance that maybe I can enroll in a recreational ballet class in 2011
  65. Crème Puff’s successful recovery from surgery
  66. Getting 45 lbs. of bluegrass hay delivered to my front door (so convenient!)
  67. Having a cupcake fairy on my desk at work
  68. Decent typing ability, a result of the computer courses I hated so much
  69. Jellied cranberry sauce in a can, particularly when it’s on sale
  70. Obtaining the financial assistance to attend university
  71. Having a phone that allows text messaging
  72. Library books from other branches delivered to the branch around the corner
  73. A decent DVD selection from the library
  74. Seeing my great aunt during the holidays
  75. Twinkling Christmas lights on every tree downtown
  76. The promise of snow and potential for sledding or snowball fights
  77. Working heat in my apartment, unlike last winter
  78. Not having to worry about basic necessities or even little luxuries
  79. Lacking allergies to nail polish
  80. Being part of a welcoming local lolita fashion community
  81. Attending meetups and spending time with friends
  82. Picnics in the park during warmer weather
  83. Playgrounds with swing sets tall enough that I can still swing
  84. Having so many wonderful, reliable, and caring friends
  85. The conveniences of living in a modern era
  86. Lolita fashion companies that make the clothing I always wanted to wear
  87. Attending concerts
  88. Enjoying evenings at home with my husband while he plays guitar
  89. Being able to go on dates once in a while
  90. The occasional day off together ♥
  91. Pain au chocolat and strong tea on weekend mornings
  92. Bows ontop of bows ontop of more bows (I’m looking at you, Angelic Pretty~)
  93. Healing completely from the accident a few years ago
  94. Cheerful text messages from friends conveniently during the most stressful times at work
  95. Being pink and fluffy most of the time
  96. Old books with worn covers and gold-edged pages
  97. My Little Pony toys with magnet feet
  98. Always having someone to turn to
  99. Hope for the future
  100. Not having credit card debt
  101. Being lucky enough to be loved by so many wonderful people just for being me ♥

I hope everyone who is celebrating the holiday has a lovely Thanksgiving, spending it with people you love~

Daily Life: Work, School, and Writing

Daily Life: Work, School, and Writing

I’m entering the “busy season” at work, and the fall semester is coming to a close before winter semester starts. (My graduate school uses a quarter system.) I keep thinking about all of the things I’d like to write about–cozy fall activities, planning for the upcoming winter, more about tea, lolita fashion and general appropriate, and a myriad of other topics that always pop into my mind when I’m sitting in a lecture or frantically trying to complete something for a deadline! I’ve worn more outfits since my last post, but I don’t like having too many outfit posts in a row; I don’t really consider it content. I haven’t been able to make it to many meetups, either, due to my schedule with work and school. Working on Sundays always seems to exclude me from activities~

Rose Hard at Work
Rose was trying to help me out at work by answering the phone. I think it was a little bit difficult for her.

I haven’t been any less active and I’m not losing interest–I’m just busier than I’d like to be~ I’m hoping to have more time to write this weekend. There are so many things on my mind!

I’ve been thinking about trying my hand again at NaNoWriMo–National Novel Writing Month. I’ve attempted to complete the goal of writing a 50,000-word novel from scratch in one month, starting November 1 and ending November 30, but I’ve never gotten anywhere close! I’ve always had fun trying, though, so I just might try again. I want to write about lolita fashion, but I’m not sure exactly what. Some kind of modern, fairy tale-esque fantasy, perhaps~ Not quite the life of a girl living on Milky Planet, but… hmm… something. I’m sure it won’t amount to much!

Within the past week or so I’ve taken up a hobby that I haven’t done in a while–knitting! I’m having a lot of fun trying new projects. There are so many yarn stores in my area; it’s astounding! Best of all, I can knit on the train or bus to and from work or other errands, and I’ve managed to make quite a bit of progress. My goal is to eventually make the Chocola-chan scarf that was available in the Gothic & Lolita Bible. I want to be sure that my skills are up to par before I purchase nice yarn and start on it, so I’m trying to get a lot of practice in!

I’ll be very happy when Thanksgiving is over and things have calmed down a bit~ I’m very glad that I’ve at least avoided getting sick so far. I feel like so many people I come into contact with daily are ill~ It’s just that time of year.

Daily Life: A Summer Day

Daily Life: A Summer Day

Most of the time I spend the weekends with my husband and my friends. I am often at work (and, when it’s not summer, often in class as well) during the week, so I try very hard to make the weekends into tiny vacations. That’s why I make a point of wearing lolita fashion and attending events. However, this Saturday my husband was out of town, working with my father, and my friends were occupied, so I spent the day alone. I tried to keep myself occupied, but wasn’t entirely successful. (Darn!)

Morning Tea
All of my tea items are mis-matched, but also follow a similar theme of florals, so I love seeing everything together.

I made tea when I woke up, with the sun streaming in through the windows in the kitchen. My kitchen is actually not terribly pink–the most colour comes from the chairs, which are a bright and sunny yellow. When the sun rises it lights up the kitchen and everything seems to pick up that yellow hue; it always makes me think that the day will be a fantastic one!

Tea is one of my “first loves,” so I have an entire section of countertop dedicated to it. There’s a drawer filled with tea below, and an electric kettle always awaiting on top! My teacup collection is displayed on a shelf nearby, with teapots within easy reach. Most of my teacups are floral themed, so one of my favourite teapots is a small mossy-green one. It compliments most of them nicely!

Most of my morning was spent scrubbing in the kitchen (I like to keep things tidy), and then trying to get some pictures of my new doll. The lighting in my home is not very good–the sunlight tends to be too harsh or not bright enough, so getting a good picture is not simple. I tried to get some from the kitchen, but it didn’t work out as well as I hoped. (I also spent quiiiiiite a lot of time in EGL‘s chat room, popping in and out as my attention waxed and waned.)

Pile of Doll Stuff
I’ve been focusing a lot on doll-related things, so I had quite a mess of items strewn about the house.

I planed to get some cleaning and organizing done, since there wouldn’t be a well-intentioned husband to get in the way. n_~ The biggest mess was the proliferation of ball-jointed doll “stuff.” I purchased things at Dolpa during my trip, and ordered things online once I purchased the doll I really wanted, so there were clothing, wigs, eyes, and other accessories tucked all over the place–nothing where it belonged. I managed to pile everything together and attempt to fit it back into the box it came from, but that didn’t work out very well!

Then I tried to get some outfit pictures. I had forgotten how difficult it is to take my own picture. x_+ I made crazy set-ups of boxes on top of stools on top of chairs on top of even suitcases, and balanced the camera precariously on top of the stack. Again and again I wound up with pictures of only my feet, or only my head, or most of me but no head. (And, inevitably when I messed up setting the timer, pictures of my hand. XD) It was so frustrating!

Shirley Temple and the Duck
I love this glass~ I just wish I had more than one of them; I don’t know where the others went.

The library notified me that some of my books were ready for pick-up, so I headed out on a short trip. It was so bright and sunshiney outside! With my heart-shaped sunglasses and fluffy pink dress, I got a lot of stares! X3 (Although a white-haired gentleman kindly told me that he thought my dress was lovely, which was very nice! I like seeing people smile, even if it’s because they’re holding back giggles. n_~)

It was much too warm for tea when I got back home, so I made a Shirley Temple! I almost always have maraschino cherries in my refrigerator, because Shirley Temples are my “oh my goodness what a horrible day” remedy, much the way some people treat cocktails or other liquors. Since I had both soda and cherries, it wasn’t something to pass up. I’ve never grown out of pink fizzy drinks with lots of fruit, and I like them best if there’s no alcohol. :3

Library Books
I love the cover for the Lincoln book. The back cover is even funnier~

My library pick-ups included a novel I’ve been very excited to read (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith) and some books on ballet. I took ballet classes a very, very, very-very-very long time ago, and I’ve been thinking about taking classes again for fun. I’m much too old to ever be a ballerina, and I don’t have any performance aspirations, but I remember really enjoying ballet. (Plus, I’ve wanted to incorporate some exercise into my life!) I picked up a few books to read not to teach myself, but to at least do some research.

After reading the novel for a while I figured it was time to do get back to tidying up before it became night. (The novel is incredibly enjoyable. I wish I could talk my grandfather, who is very fond of Abraham Lincoln, into reading it, but I’m not sure he would find it as amusing as I do.)

Imai Kira Postcards
My little sister selected some really gorgeous postcards–all the colours and illustrations are so beautiful.

When going through some lolita fashion items that had snuck into my house since my little sister’s trip to Japan, I found the postcards she had purchased for me. Although Imai Kira isn’t my favourite artist, her work is very beautiful. The postcards and mini-poster have such detailed, delicate lines. Most of the postcards have a pearly shine, too! ♥ I’m hoping to hang them up somewhere, but I haven’t quite decided on the best way to display them. I was thinking about putting the mini-poster up in my office, but now that I’ve seen it in person I’m not sure if that’s the best use of it! It’s so pretty!

My house is not decorated at all, but I have aspirations to add some more frilly touches~ I think framing the postcards might be a nice touch, but I’m not sure exactly what I’m going for yet. I have a hard time even thinking about where to start. I’ve never done much decorating because I’ve always rented, so anything that goes up will have to be taken down and put back to the way it was before moving out. However, it seems we’ll be staying in my tiny house for a little while, so I’d like to make it more of our own. ♥

My day ended uneventfully, since I had to head to work that next day. (There is no rest for the wicked, after all!) I hope that I can spend next weekend with friends and loved ones–it’s nice to have some time alone, but I get bored too easily. Work seems to give me all the “alone time” I want!

Daily Life: A “Momoko” Moment

Daily Life: A “Momoko” Moment

In most ways, I’m not much like Momoko of Kamikaze Girls (original title Shimotsuma Monogatari)–and I think that’s a good thing. Her personality isn’t exactly the best–she’s rude, selfish, untruthful, and conceited. She isn’t even in denial–she readily admits that beneath her beautiful clothes her soul is rotten. Despite my disapproval of her personality and actions, the way she lives is very intriguing, if unattainable. I’m sure I wouldn’t really want to lie around all day reading about embroidery and eating sugar-coated cereal for dinner, but sometimes when work or class is exhausting me I daydream about how relaxing it would be once in a while.

The scene from the film where she shows her sugary and insubstantial boxed lunch~

I particularly think of the food she’s always eating–always sweets, never anything else. I like sweets very much myself, but I keep it balanced with lots of vegetables and grains~ That wasn’t the case for her. I always wondered if she secretly ate other food, but she seemed the sort who would rather get scurvy than do something she disagreed with, so perhaps she just took really effective vitamins.

Since my husband isn’t here I haven’t really felt like cooking dinner. I don’t eat very much and I’m not very hungry, and it seems like a waste to make something if I don’t particularly care either way–and then I might hope those ingredients are still here for a future meal. (As if I’ll never get to a grocery store again–it’s completely irrational.) I did make a cheese soufflé the other day, but this evening I didn’t want to eat it again after having some for lunch already. I remembered that we had some strawberries that absolutely must be eaten or else, and thus my dinner was decided: tea and strawberries & cream.

An Alice Dinner
The evening meal of champions very silly girls who absolutely know better. A honey & butter sandwich was made later and not pictured.

It was just one of those silly things that brightened my mood a bit. My husband hasn’t been gone for very long, and I’m sure he’s having a wonderful trip. I kept myself busy over the weekend so that I wouldn’t miss him too much, but I miss him just as much regardless of how many other things I’m doing to keep myself occupied. Sometimes doing something that you know isn’t necessarily the “right” thing to do, but is absolutely-completely-undeniably the “fun” thing do–the fun thing is the better choice. (And one non-nutritious meal is harmless. If I made a habit of this I’m sure I’d be quite sick!)

I’m also getting acquainted with my beautiful-wonderful-amazing new computer. ♥

My computer is rather old, and it’s been giving me trouble for quite a while. So much, in fact, that before I graduated from university my father told me that he would get me a new computer as a graduation present. (Yay!) And then I graduated, and heard nothing of the computer for months. When it was finally brought up again, the new computer was suddenly surrounded with red tape and more delays. It had gotten to the point where I thought I’d have to start saving up for the new computer myself–especially because my former computer has been continuously making suicide attempts. I haven’t actually been able to use it in over a month, but I thankfully my tiny pink netbook has been pulling me through! Tiny pink netbook is really not a permanent replacement, however: he runs Linux and has an itty-bitty screen.

My Baby ♥CANDY♥
Mallow and the computer. Both are cute, but Mallow’s still cuter. I think he can take solace in that. He hasn’t been forgotten even though Monsieur Lait has been prominently featured as of late.

The best part about my new computer is that it’s new. The second-best part of my new computer is that it’s PINK~ ♥ I love every centimeter of it’s textured pink Windows 7-running self. ♥ It has well over ten times as much hard disc space, much more RAM, doesn’t do crazy things for no reason… And it’s pink. Did I mention it’s pink? It’s pink.

My brother and father argued over the computer, apparently. I told my brother that I wanted a pink computer that wasn’t just junk, since whatever I get will have to be my internet-and-other-stuff terminal for a long time. I am not very swayed by new technology, preferring instead to buy frills and tea. My brother declared that this was the best pink computer in the given price range, and then my father looked up every review he could find and brought up whatever negative points others had found, for my brother to rebut them. I really appreciate both of their hard work! ♥

My father very seriously told me I should immediately tape my business card to the bottom of my laptop, so that I don’t pick up someone else’s when we go through the security checkpoint in the airport. Somehow, I don’t think that will be a problem.

Daily Life: Stark Contrast

Daily Life: Stark Contrast

When I was little I was an avid reader of Highlights magazine for children. One of the regular features was a comic strip called “Goofus & Gallant,” where two boys in the same situation responded in different ways. Goofus always picked the “wrong” thing to do, while Gallant picked the “right” thing to do. Even as a very young child, I knew that Goofus’ behavior wasn’t right. He would do things like eat before everyone else was seated at the table, boss his friends around, or refuse to share. This weekend I experienced my very own “Goofus & Gallant” tale.

On Friday I visited my father, and returned home very late. The train was mostly empty when I got on, but at the next stop a group of five or six young men (university-aged) got on. They were joking and clearly enjoying each other’s company, but without being rude or overly noisy. My skirt was sneaking onto the seat next to me, and one of these fellows politely asked me if he might sit there–instead of just plopping down on it. He took a seat facing away from me, and he and his friends continued their conversation.

However, at the next stop there was a pause. I looked up to see all of them staring at me, and the young man next to me broke the silence. “I’m very curious–what’s with the stuffed animal?”

I replied that it was a backpack (they were referencing Monsieur Lait, my usakumya), and immediately all of the gentlemen were intrigued. They wanted to see the straps, see how it zippered, tell me what they had thought it was. The one sitting next to me introduced himself, shook my hand, and started to ask questions. I don’t particularly like speaking to strangers on the train, but they were far from rude and quite unthreatening. I felt uncomfortable only in that I was tired and wanted some piece and quiet.

They asked about my clothing, the young man in front of my announcing to the others that he thought it was some Japanese thing–which, obviously, it is. They were intrigued and posed a few other questions. When they exited the train, they said goodbye and gave a wave. While it wasn’t necessarily enjoyable, their good spirits and kindness (I’m sure they were thinking it, but no-one called me a freak or acted like I was crazy) made it more than tolerable.

This afternoon, after seeing my guests to their car and returning home, I suddenly realized that I had forgotten to tip our waitress at lunch in my rush to pay for the check. I hurried over to remedy the situation, hoping that the café wouldn’t yet be closed, and managed to make it just in time! I headed home more slowly, a bit worn out from the panic and hurry.

The weather has been quite nice today, so the bar I passed soon after had opened the front to allow circulations. Five men, older than those who had ridden with me on the train, leaned forward over the bar and started calling to me. One kept going, “Hey! Hey! Hey!” and another waved a camera saying over and over, “Can I get a picture with you? Can I get a picture with you?” I froze although I knew I should have kept walking.

They started to shift as if they would get up from their bar stools and walk towards me, with the man holding the camera looking around for someone to take the picture for him. Another of the patrons–the one who had been doing the calling–started trying to “ask me a question” which sounded suspiciously like some kind of obscene joke or unpleasant pick-up-line. I didn’t remain still for too much longer and briskly walked off.

And that is exactly how not to behave when you see someone dressed oddly. I seem to only get such distasteful behavior from drunk people–they feel the need to yell strange things at me or try to get close to me. I never should have stopped walking–that was a severe error on my part–but I really shouldn’t have to deal with that kind of hassling simply because I am pink and rather fluffy. I would take the young men on the train talking to me endlessly any time over drunk men saying inappropriate things and making me feel unsafe. Ugh! I don’t think I really need to spell out which group was Goofuses and which were Gallants!

Daily Life: Mother’s Day

Daily Life: Mother’s Day

Happy Mother's Day!

Dear Mom,

I’m never lying when I say that you’re the best mom ever; I proudly proclaim it to everyone I know. I’m eternally thankful to have such a wonderful mother. I know I don’t always show how much I love you. I’m not as affectionate as I could be, and I let myself get frustrated by stupid things. Despite this, I truly love you and couldn’t even imagine such a thing as a “better” mother than you even existing.

After all, it’s impossible to improve on perfection. ♥

Love,
Your Daughter

Daily Life: What a Surprise!

Daily Life: What a Surprise!

The other day, while having dinner with a friend I had invited over, my father called.

“Have you checked your email?” was the first thing I heard.
“No; I have a friend over.”
“You need to check your email.”
“Um, okay…”
“Check your email and call me back.”

I apologized to my guest, wishing that I had let the call go to voice mail, and turned on my pink netbook with the intent to check my email as quickly as possible. I couldn’t imagine why my father was calling me to have such a suspicious conversation, or what could be in my inbox to require immediate attention. When my account loaded and clicked on my newest message, I let out a squeal.

I’m going to VolksDolls Party in New York City!

I own a ball-jointed doll. I’m not very active or passionate about ball-jointed dolls as a hobby, but I enjoy my doll and keep an eye on doll-related things. My doll is from Volks, so I often browse the Volks USA website. Several months ago I had heard whisperings and speculation about a US Dolls’ Party. A “Dolls’ Party” is rather like a mini-convention hosted by this company particularly for their customers/fans and limited to their products. This event was canceled in 2009 due to concerns about swine flu, but it seemed as though it was likely to happen in 2010. When this was confirmed and the date was announced, I wanted to go.

My father often has business in New York, so I had emailed him last week to see if he would be in town on June 19 and 20–hoping, of course, to stay at his hotel room and avoid paying for one of my own. Getting a plane ticket would be another issue, but I could save quite a bit by avoiding hotel costs. His response–hence the cryptic phone call–was that I had been booked a hotel room and plane ticket!

Little Alice is one of the limited items for the event! (The limited items are Alice in Wonderland themed, with Alice, Lorina, and the White Rabbit.) She has such a sweet face.

Now I’m so excited I barely know what to do with myself! I want to get the most out of the event, but I my doll doesn’t need a visit to the Dolly Doctor (Beauty Salon) and it’s very unlikely that I’ll buy another doll. I’m determined to take the workshop, but I’m not sure if or which school head I should buy. There are so many choices~ I can’t wait to see more information released on the website.

I’m planning my attire as well, because obviously I want to wear lolita fashion the entire time! ♥ I can’t think of a better choice, really. If only they made Alice or Lorina’s dress in MSD size, so my Claire could be dressed in a similar fashion~ I can’t wait to see what it’s like! I need to make up my mind and get my registration in order.

I wonder if any other lolita are attending this event~ ♥

Daily Life: Little Happinesses

Daily Life: Little Happinesses

Lately it’s been too easy for me to feel frustrated and stressed out. Instead of wallowing in unpleasant thoughts, I want to focus on the good things. (My life is really not that bad, seriously. I feel frustrated when I hear people complaining on-and-on about how terrible and difficult everything is for them if they are generally well, so I don’t want to be hypocritical.) I’ve been feeling very guilty about neglecting to make entries here, so at least this is a little push in the right direction.

Glitter Glitter Sneakers

Some of My Favourite Little Happinesses:

  • Wearing lace-topped knee socks to the office on Sundays
  • Getting another stamp on my Beard Papa’s punch card
  • Rainbow-coloured Easter bread from Central Continental Bakery
  • Sunlight reflected off my pink glittery sneakers
  • Being woken up by wheeking guinea pigs
  • Emailing my mother funny animated YouTube videos
  • Checking to see what is and isn’t sold-out on the Angelic Pretty website
  • Daydreaming about cuddling an usakumya
  • Looking at beautiful Volks Nono pictures on Flickr
  • Rolling around on the floor of my sparsely-furnished home
  • …Even better if my little sister has initiated the rolling
  • Having friends over to drink tea and bake cupcakes
  • Hopping onto the #8 at last-minute notice to visit my little sister
  • Poking my husband in the ribs
  • Picking up neatly-pressed lolita clothing from the dry cleaners
  • Fantasy-shopping on FredFlare for all the things I’ll never buy
  • Watching “my penguin” at the zoo
  • Changing the music in my little brother’s car
  • Eating fancy-schmancy overpriced waffles from the shop where they scream at you
  • Hearing my grandmother’s voice over the phone change when she realizes it’s me
  • Staring at my wedding ring and remembering how lucky I am

What are some of the things you are happy because of? ♥ I’m sure that everyone puts significance on different “little” things. I need to be a better Alice and pay more attention to mine!

Daily Life: Mmm, Ice Cream

Daily Life: Mmm, Ice Cream


An Original Rainbow Cone
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

Today was an enjoyable and interesting day for two reasons: firstly, I saw my little sister ♥, and secondly, I started gradually introducing my workplace to lolita fashion.

My job does not have a dress code, and everything and everyone there is very casual and laid-back. There are some coworkers of mine who wear alternative fashions to work, and no-one gives it much notice. I have really wanted to wear some of my lolita wardrobe to work, but I worried about distracting my coworkers–a full sweet lolita coordinate can be very overwhelming–and I don’t even wear things too “over the top.” Gradually introducing aspects of the fashion seemed like a better choice to me, for a smooth transition to wearing anything I wanted.

I decided to start with a skirt. Lolita skirts are unique, but very easy to coordinate for a toned-down outfit. My goal is to present elements of the fashion to make it so that no-one even blinks twice when I finally come in with a headdress and parasol. I know from experience that hair accessories and knee socks really catch people’s attention, so those were not to be my first endeavor.

I wore my Bodyline-replica of Angelic Pretty’s “fruits parlor,” print, with a yellow-and-white striped mid-sleeve tee-shirt, flat brown shoes, and pigtails. My objective was casual and non-lolita, but with evident lolita fashion influence. (Of course, this would be the day they took my ID photo!! XD I look hilarious on it!)

Surprisingly, one of my coworkers identified my clothing! He started with a casual comment asking where I had gotten my skirt; my response was that it was from a Japanese retailer. Upon hearing that, he went, “Aha! You can’t buy stuff like that around here! That’s that… what’s the name… lolita fashion!” It was quite a shock that he would be spot-on~ (There were no negative connotations or suggestions of fetishes.)

After work, I met my little sister for some tea and coffee at a local shop. I always ♥adore♥ spending time with her! She brightens up my day no matter what~ We talked about lolita, mainly the local community. She expressed an interest in starting a few weekly regularly-scheduled meetups, which I would certainly enjoy, and we discussed the possibility of some kind of casual affair where even the non-fashion-wearing-but-interested would feel welcome to mingle among avid community members. Personally, I love our local community and am always coming up with ridiculous ideas to get us together more often and bring in more interested people~ With the opening of the BABY, the Stars Shine Bright store in San Francisco, I see more and more lolita-potentials coming out of the woodwork; I want everyone to feel welcome and get to know one another!!

I’m going to see her again tomorrow–after another weekend shift at work–we’re sure to scheme up more ideas! Maybe some of them we’ll have a chance to use!

Daily Life: Not Quite a Picnic

Daily Life: Not Quite a Picnic


Wonderful Afternoon Tea
Originally uploaded by sweetmilktea

I was very excited about today! Instead of a normal, perhaps even boring day at work, there was something to look forward to–a lunchtime meetup in a local park~ That was why I stayed up quite late working on my homework, debated over which purse to carry, and fussed over the fact that I couldn’t arrange a lolita coordinate to wear to work today. At work I skipped about, constantly adjusting my pink rose scarf (a gift from a talented friend).

However, when I got to the park after clocking out, there were absolutely no lolita; not even a familiar face that I recognized. I called my little sister, who had arranged the meetup, but she didn’t answer her phone. Just as I was wondering how long I ought to stay and where else I should look, my phone rang. Apparently everyone had been too busy to spare much time for their lunch hour, and they disbanded very early. She still had plenty of time to spare before her next class, and I wanted to at least drop off something that belonged to her.

Instead, we ended up spending the afternoon together. I really enjoyed myself! I love being with any of my friends–doesn’t everyone?–but I especially cherish the time I can spend with my little sister. ♥ We always have more fun that we really ought to, sometimes getting into trouble but always keeping each other entertained. (Even though she’s a self-proclaimed “Complainasaurus!”)

When we met each other I took her out for cupcakes at one of my favourite shops–Sugar Bliss! My chocolate toffee cupcake was incredibly rich and absolutely delicious, and her spice cupcake was equally tasty. The window that looks out on Wabash is perfect for people-watching, which seems to go well with cupcakes.

Afterwards we ran a quick errand, then decided to browse the Marshall Field’s at State Street. I love wandering around that elegant, massive building–it’s almost like a shopping mall, with all of the sectioned areas that are sometimes rented by specific retailers. I inevitably get lost on the ground floor, usually when trying to get from one side to the next. In Merz Apothecary we couldn’t resist oddly-flavored toothpaste in tiny tubes, and split one that claimed to taste like lemon tea. (It does.)

Then we wandered to the Shiseido counter, which she had recently opened my eyes to the wonders of. (My overly sensitive and ridiculous skin has never behaved so well… Now I’m coveting that highly-expensive scrubbing brush, which I pet at the counter.) We pet some makeup brushes at the MAC display~ Sooooo soft~!

Then we ducked into Intelligensia to sit and chat. I hadn’t been able to see her for a little while, as my work and school schedule keeps me fairly occupied and my little sister also works, attends university, AND was busy with an internship. (She’s such a hard worker~) We moaned about lolita fashion we really wanted, pondered future outfits to coordinate together, and discussed crazy fabrics she planned to purchase for entirely non-lolita purposes.

Despite spending several hours together, it all ended too soon. It did put me into a marvelously good mood, which I hope will get me through my long day of class and work tomorrow as painlessly as possible~ ♥